Sabine T. Koeszegi

From Words to Numbers: How to Transform Qualitative Data into Meaningful Quantitative Results

In proposing a procedure for transforming qualitative data into quantitative results, we address the manifold requests for discovery-oriented research in the business disciplines. We present a systematic classification of combined qualitative-quantitative research designs and argue in favor of the generalization model. We give guidelines for its implementation and provide a blueprint for systematically converting respondents’ words into numbers that can be used for further (statistical) analyses. We delimit and discuss the stages of unitization, categorization, and coding. We also raise quality issues and propose relevant quality criteria in the transformation process. In particular, we suggest the intercoder consistency-matrix for determining the incisiveness of categories developed through content analysis. Finally, we demonstrate in an exemplary study how the blueprint can be applied and highlight the benefits of the proposed research design.

National Cultural Differences in the Use and Perception of Internet-based NSS: Does High or Low Context Matter?

In this article, we apply an extended technology acceptance model (TAM) to explore whether national culture influences a users perception and use of Internet-based negotiation support systems (NSS). In particular, we are interested in whether different preferences for communication patterns, as we find them for low-context and high-context cultures, influence the use and perception of different NSS support tools. The Web-based system Inspire, which provided data for our analysis has been used by over 2000 entities worldwide in experimental negotiations. Our results show that, based on the need to establish a social context in computermediated negotiations, users from high-context cultures exchange significantly more messages and offers during negotiations than users from low-context cultures. Analytical negotiation support is valued significantly higher by users from low-context cultures than by users from highcontext cultures as this problem-solving approach is more compatible with their preference for direct and task-oriented communication.

Trust‐building strategies in inter‐organizational negotiations

One challenge for multinational organizations is to manage inter‐organizational relationships with customers, collaborators, competitors, governments and other important stakeholder organizations. Negotiations can be seen as a process to manage interdependence and conflicts of interests between parties. As a result, negotiation analysis and theory provide a useful framework to analyze dynamics of relationship‐ and trust‐building and hence are increasingly important for the understanding of inter‐organizational relationships. This paper explores the set of strategies managers can implement in negotiations to establish relationships based on mutual understanding and trust in order to reach satisfactory agreements and manage inter‐organizational dependencies and its associated threats.

The War against the Female Soldier? The Effects of Masculine Culture on Workplace Aggression

This study intends to analyze the relationship between military culture, masculine norms, attitude toward women, and workplace aggression. By using a paper-pencil survey in the Austrian Armed Forces, we show that overall 6.5 percent of all soldiers in the sample suffer from severe, long-term collective aggression (bullying). The detailed analysis suggests that systematic workplace aggression is associated with a culture with high power orientation and adherence to traditional (masculine) military norms. It occurs most often within socialization processes in training centers as well as in combat units. Conversely, culture in support units has high levels of task orientation with a comparably positive attitude toward female soldiers and less reported workplace aggression. The data reveal the gender dimension of workplace aggression in the Austrian Armed Forces: women are significantly more vulnerable to bullying. Almost every second soldier declares to have observed and every tenth soldier admits to have conducted aggressive acts against women.

Analysis of Negotiation Processes

Communication can be considered to lie “at the heart” of the negotiation process, it ties together the individual decisions and choices which, together with communication, form the negotiation process (See the chapter by Kersten and Lai, this volume). It encompasses both hard facts as offers or factual questions (See the chapter by Schoop, this volume) as well as soft factors (See the chapter by Eden and Ackerman, this volume) and emotions (See the chapter by Martinowski, this volume). Therefore, researchers have to apply qualitative as well as quantitative methods in order to analyze negotiation processes comprehensively. In this chapter, we give an overview of different analysis strategies by looking at the information exchange that takes place during a negotiation. Given the complexity and multitude of communication processes, these analysis strategies can be distinguished along two dimensions: (1) The information used for analysis could either be inclusive and take into account all information exchanged, or selective, i.e. focus on one specific type of information. For example, a selective approach could focus only on quantitative information. (2) The elementary unit of analysis could range from a micro-analysis of individual utterances to a macro-analysis of the entire process. In our discussion, we show that the various combinations of these dimensions highlight different angles of negotiation processes and each delivers valuable insights. We consequently propose a multi-method approach for the analysis of negotiation processes as most promising.

More Than Words: The Effect of Emoticons in Electronic Negotiations

While affect plays a similar fundamental role in both, electronic and face-to-face negotiations, the expression of emotions in computer-mediated communication differs considerably from face-to-face settings. The aim of this experimental study is to analyze how the systematic use of emoticons – facilitated with software – affects negotiation behavior in alternative computer-mediated negotiation settings. With a 2 × 2 design comparing system-induced emoticon use with a text-only condition in synchronous chat or asynchronous e-mail mode we isolate effects of emoticons in these different communication settings. Results show that emoticons are used in different functions, i.e. mainly to supplement and support text messages and less often to mitigate its content. Furthermore, emoticon support increases the communication of positive affect in asynchronous negotiations while it decreases communication of negative affect and distributive negotiation behavior in synchronous negotiations. These findings propose that advancing communication quality via contextualization of affective information in negotiation support systems is promising.

Effectiveness and efficiency of national systems of innovation: The importance of ICT, the cases of Ghana and Kenya

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the determinants of the Effectiveness and Efficiency of the Ghana National System of Innovation (GNSI) and the Kenya National System of Innovation (KNSI). Two regression analyses is performed on the level of innovativeness of Business Enterprises (BE) (Effectiveness) and of the strength of linkages between Research institutes (RI) and the Production System (Efficiency) with respect to an array of independent variables of the National System of Innovation (NSI). We find that the GNSI and the KNSI are conformed by actor linkages and ICT positively with respect to Ghana and negatively in the case of Kenya. Lack of Finance is a significant determinant in the GNSI whereas adequacy of Human Resources is a significant determinant for the KNSI. In both countries Level of Innovativeness of BEs and Strength of RI Linkages with the Production System are significant in the modeling.

Integration of Behavioral and Analytic Decision Support in Electronic Negotiations

This paper presents the e-Nego-motion research project which attempts to enhance understanding of effects of and interaction between behavioral and analytic decision support in e-negotiations. Systems providing both kinds of decision support were used in a laboratory experiment. Analyses show that behavioral decision support is requested most often for issues where experienced conflict is high. When consulted early in the negotiation phase, the diagnosis, analysis and advice functions of behavioral support increase the efficiency of agreements. This effect is even stronger if analytic decision support is available to subjects. Additionally, communication patterns influence the quality of negotiations independent of decision support. The more formal offers and counteroffers are exchanged, the higher is the efficiency of outcomes measured by joint utility. Overall, there are no significant differences in the number and quality of agreements between support approaches. Nevertheless, the satisfaction of subjects with process and outcomes reflects the strengths of the support approaches: Subjects with behavioral support are most satisfied with outcomes while subjects with decision support are most satisfied with the negotiation process.

Gender Counts?! Analysis of Student Dropout at Vienna University of Technology

Vienna University of Technology (VUT) has an extremely high student dropout rate of more than 50 percent in its curricula. This study analyses whether and to what extent socio-demographic factors increase the dropout risk at VUT. In particular, the study analyses whether academic integration, measured by several performance indicators, decreases dropout for male and female students in the same way when other factors such as the field of study, age and nationality are controlled.

Prevention of and interventions in workplace bullying: a global study of human resource professionals’ reflections on preferred action

Abstract The aim of this study was to analyze Human Resource Professionals’ reflections on the prevention of and intervention in workplace bullying across different countries. More specifically, the study sought to identify what actions were, in the experience of human resource professionals, best to prevent and intervene in bullying and uncover organizations’ motives for engaging in such work. The study was conducted through semi-structured interviews (n = 214) in 14 different countries/regions, representing all continents and all GLOBE cultural clusters. Qualitative content analysis was performed to analyze the material. The findings indicate that bullying was largely conceptualized as a productivity and cost issue, and that was largely driving efforts to counter bullying. Training and policies were highlighted as preferred means to prevent bullying across countries. In contrast, there were large national differences in terms of preferences for either disciplinary or reconciliatory approaches to intervene in bullying. This study advances our understanding of what human resource professionals consider preferred ways of managing workplace bullying, and adds to our understanding of cross-national differences and similarities in views of this phenomenon. As such, the results are of relevance to both practitioners and scholars.